Israeli officials called tonight for concerted world-wide action to combat terrorists. “There is a desperate and urgent need for the international community to unite in order to combat terrorism,” one source said. He was referring to today’s terrorist attacks on the Israeli-Ambassador’s residence and on an Israeli airliner at Nicosia, Cyprus.

It is not sufficient to prevent acts of terrorism. “The terrorists have to be punished very harshly to deter them from committing acts against Israelis or other targets abroad,” the source said. He said the spectacular failure of today’s assaults was a hard blow to the terrorists.

Ambassador Rahamim Timor whose Nicosia residence was attacked with grenades and dynamite sticks today, said in a radio interview that the cooperation of Cypriot authorities was satisfactory. He said that he and his staff had been especially alert of late but refused to elaborate. He said he expected the Cypriot authorities to treat the episode with utmost seriousness. Ambassador Timor has been posted in Cyprus since 1971. He was previously Ambassador to the African states of Zaire and Togo.